Fun Food Saturday: Pumpkin

We love, love, love cooking with pumpkin (full disclosure: we usually use the canned pureed variety, not whole pumpkins) because it’s so tasty and nutritious, and because you can slip it into just about any kind of food for a creamy fall flavor. When Endless Simmer posted their “100 Ways to Cook A Pumpkin” feature they had us practically drooling. Seriously: Pumpkin panini? Pumpkin hummus? Pumpkin whoopie pies? We might be in danger of turning orange over here.

To honor the most versatile vegetable (fruit?) of the season, we pulled together a few pumpkin recipes that have an added kid-friendly factor. We started with the Pumpkin Hummus from Naturally Ella. Although she plays up the sweet flavors with cinnamon and nutmeg, we like it with more of a traditional tang, so we skipped the spices and put in lemon juice and salt instead. All in all, it was an incredibly cheery little dip to brighten up a plate full of pita bread.

Next up we tried Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese from Ashley at (never home)maker. Ashley writes that this concoction was inspired by a Deceptively Delicious recipe, except that it substitutes garbanzo bean puree for the cream cheese, and pumpkin for the cauliflower. We wound up adding just a little salt to bring the taste closer to the mac and cheese we are used to, but all in all this recipe was brilliant. The garbanzo bean and pumpkin puree made it so creamy and gooey that it seemed like the ultimate fall comfort food. And yes, even the little guy ate it.

Last up we made Pumpkin Nutella Bread from Two Peas and Their Pod. We picked this recipe because the kids have been going through a little Nutella phase lately (and who can blame them?). This bread is a great fall staple, pleasantly moist with a nice chocolate surprise.

Are we finished yet? Nope – Why stop now? Next up on the list we’re hoping to make these yummy-looking Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins from Foodie Tots and Pumpkin Lasagne from Delish. And before we’re finished, we expect to make those Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. There’s no such thing as too much pumpkin in our book.